Plant sales have cooled off since the highs of the COVID era, but 2023 is shaping up strongly so far for the green industry It got cold in Atlanta this past winter. One day in December, the mercury topped out at a frigid 7 degrees. “I can’t ever remember a single-digit day since I moved […]
Branching out with banking relationships
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Financing for the nursery industry can be tricky without a few financial friends Any business faces challenges, but nurseries have a unique set all to themselves. There’s nature to contend with, a perpetual shortage of labor, and the fact that crops planted today won’t be ready to sell, in many cases, for years. And when […]
Spraying sustainably
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An intelligent spraying system can help growers reduce pesticide use, save money and better manage their crops Until about six or seven years ago, Hans Nelson and Sons Nursery in Boring, Oregon, would apply standard pesticides to its roughly 150 acres of shade and flowering trees using traditional air-blast sprayers. The sprayers, used throughout the […]
The tribulations of big trees
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Growing bigger trees that will flourish in a changing climate takes a long-game approach For decades, tree-lined streets across the country — largely in the Southeast — would erupt in the bright white blossoms of Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) every spring. Affordable, fast-growing and easily shipped, the trees had become the darlings of landscapers, […]
Water, water everywhere?
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Western nursery associations team up to tackle the rising tide of water woes Glenda Mostek, executive director of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association, has a colorful way of sizing up one of the bigger issues facing the Centennial State’s nursery industry. “Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting,” she said, quoting a phrase […]
Boxing out boxwood blight
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Growers must work vigilantly to keep the fungus that causes boxwood blight out of their nurseries Boxwood is one of the most popular landscaping plants around. It’s evergreen and pretty, it provides natural privacy, it’s easy to maintain and it can be shaped into attractive ornamental topiaries. In fact, so popular is boxwood that it’s […]
Cool ridin’
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Refrigerated trucks are key to spreading the Oregon nursery industry far and wide When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that, say, a young Autumn Blaze® red maple tree (Acer × freemanii ‘Jeffersred’) that starts its days here in Oregon can end up all the way across the country in a backyard in Boston. […]
Assessing consumer demand after COVID
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After two banner years and still going strong, the nursery industry faces some headwinds Nearly three years in, and the story about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the nursery industry has become well worn. Forced to stay, work and learn at home because of COVID, people started to pay a lot more attention to […]
Certifiably successful
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Sustainability-minded certification programs can help nurseries grow and improve Scholls Valley Native Nursery sits on 60 lush acres just outside Forest Grove in the eastern foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. To the west of the nursery, Roderick Creek rolls by before merging with Gales Creek, which borders Scholls Valley’s western edge on its way […]
When you know what to grow
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When considering which trees to produce, several factors are important, but profitability is king What’s the recipe for becoming a successful grower of trees? Try one part climate and weather, another part land and inputs. Add in a solid team of employees and loyal customers, some business acumen and a dash of forecasting magic. Don’t […]
